Surgical retractors for expanding the width of an incision during surgical procedures are known. Such retractors are designed to operate in a scissor like manner and utilize plates or other members which are inserted into the surgical incision. The plates or members are then spread apart utilizing pivotally movable handles thereby spreading or increasing the width across the incision providing the surgeon with sufficient room to carry out the surgical procedure. The present invention is directed to an improved retractor especially designed for the operative procedure of micro-lumbar discectomy in which the incision is relatively small (2cm) thereby necessitating optimum utilization of the rather confined space. In this technique, a right sided herniated lumbar disc will be treated with the surgeon standing on the right side of the patient who is in the face down position. The left sided herniated disc will therefor be treated from the left side of the patient in a similar position. Even though the surgeon's orientation to the patient will remain unchanged, the retractor of the invention shown in the drawings is designed specifically for the right handed surgeon while a mirror image thereof will be used for the left handed surgeon. Thus, design details such as the handles and locking mechanism of the instrument will always be placed away from the dominate hand of the surgeon thereby minimizing any interference of the instrument with the other instruments utilized in the surgeon's dominate hand while carrying out the procedure. Moreover, known retractors have a disadvantage of the instrument arm being often nearest the surgeon and interfering with other instruments, such as forceps used in an operation. Accordingly, the present retractor is designed to optimize the advantages of such a procedure thereby giving the surgeon ample space in which to work and at the same time preventing interference with other instruments as well as the microscopic field of vision.